


I can already only see you

by Tamburlaine



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Football | Soccer, Humor, M/M, Pining, Romantic Comedy, Some Cursing, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-07-01 15:42:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15777087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tamburlaine/pseuds/Tamburlaine
Summary: Jungwoo is the new kid, and Lucas embarrasses himself trying to get his attention with increasingly desperate stunts.Or the one where Lucas is the most popular kid in school but really needs to get his head out of his own ass. Featuring soccer, misunderstandings and suffering Dreamies.





	1. Chapter 1

As a a high school senior, Lucas knew that he was expected to hate school and dread the start of a new year. To his friends he complained, and they complained too, but when he parked his car in the school parking lot he couldn’t help but smile wide. The building was nothing special to look at, the newest thing on the lot the soccer stadium built eight years ago, but Lucas fucking loved it. He knew everything about the building: the best ways to sneak out without being seen, the chairs that didn’t creak in the detention room, the spot where you could make out without being disturbed.

And he knew everything about the people. And this year, he was a senior. He stepped out of his car with a grin. As cliché as it was, this year he was the king and the school was his realm.

Mark was waiting for him by the gate, a duffel bag with the school’s logo slung over his shoulder. They greeted each other with a quick handshake and a clap on the back, voices loud as if they hadn’t spent the weekend together. As they began walking towards the entrance, other students shouted greetings or stared at them before quickly turning away to whisper to their friends. Lucas smiled wider and reached up a hand to make sure his hair wasn’t out of place.

“Is Donghyuck already here?” Lucas asked and opened the door for Mark to walk through. The stuffy warm air of the hallway instantly made Lucas’ hands feel clammy. He reached into his backpack for a water bottle.

“No. Well, yeah. Sort of. He said there’s a new kid and he had to help him get all of his paperwork. He is going to be showing him around the first week.”

“New kid for our final year? What’s that about?” Lucas asked just as they reached their classroom. Mark shrugged his shoulders and pulled the door open. They headed straight for the back of the class, towards their usual seats behind Jeno, Jaemin and Renjun. The trio always pulled their  desks together, and few teachers had the tenacity or patience to make them separate, simply giving up sometime between the start of the first lesson and the end of the third. Yuta had kept at it for a whole semester, but he was an outlier.

They had been looking at something on Renjun’s phone, Jaemin with his head on Jeno’s shoulder to see better, but when Mark tapped his knuckles on the closest desk to get their attention they all looked up in sync, wide smiles spreading on their faces. Jaemin kept his head where it was.

“What’s up?” Lucas greeted and took his seat behind Renjun. Renjun turned his phone so that Lucas could see the screen. It was a video of a soccer game, the camera following a lanky boy as he dribbled the ball past several defenders.

“The school on 101 had a practice game last week. Jisung and Chenle went to spy on them and sent me this. They are even better than last year”, Renjun said. On the video, the lanky winger passed the ball back to one of the midfielders, who took one touch before shooting the ball right in under the crossbar. The team gathered around the blonde to celebrate.

“Their offence is so precise”, Jaemin interjected, chin on Jeno’s shoulder as he looked at Lucas and Mark. “It’s like science. We need to step up our game if we want to beat them this year.”

Mark’s brow was furrowed, but Lucas waved his hand. “It was a stroke of luck that they beat us last year. I could take down Daniel-what’s-his-name any day.” Renjun raised a doubting eyebrow, but before anyone could argue the classroom fell silent when the door slammed shut behind the teacher.

Professor Taeil smiled at them, placed his satchel down on his desk and walked to the front of it. “Good morning and welcome back. Yerim-ah, could you help me hand out this years syllabus? I’m going to pass around the attendance sheet…” A knock at the door interrupted Taeil, and all eyes turned towards Donghyuck, who marched inside as confident as ever.

“Sorry, Teacher, I would have been on time, but I needed to help Jungwoo here get his things organized”, Donghyuck said and pointed a thumb at the boy standing behind him. Together with everyone else, Lucas’ attention turned to the new boy. And _damn_ he was cute. Big eyes, soft cheeks and a softer smile. Lucas took in his lean figure and slim legs and put on his most charming smile as he dragged his eyes back up, only to catch Jungwoo’s eyes. He might have imagined it, but was there a slight blush on Jungwoo’s cheeks when he looked away?

“You are excused this time. Take a seat, Donghyuck-ah”, Taeil said before turning to the new student. “Welcome. I’m your teacher, Moon Taeil. Please introduce yourself to the class, Jungwoo-ya.” Jungwoo turned to face the class, hands clasped in front of him. He took a deep breath, but when he spoke his voice was steady. Lucas completely ignored Donghyuck, who sat down by the window in Lucas’ row, completely enraptured by Jungwoo’s melodious voice.

“Hi, my name is Kim Jungwoo”, he said and bowed. “Please take good care of me.” He glanced at Taeil, still smiling, who nodded.

“I’m sure you will do well, Jungwoo-ya. Why don't you stay after class for a moment today? For now, you can sit down wherever you like.” For once, Lucas would have liked Mark to not sit next to him. But Jungwoo still headed his way and sat down next to Donghyuck, right across the aisle from Lucas. He glanced at Lucas and caught him staring.

Lucas smiled wider, layering all the charm he possessed into his voice. “I’m Lucas.” Jungwoo smiled, almost shyly, and Lucas should probably stop staring at his lips.

“Nice to meet you too, Lucas-ssi.”

Lucas opened his mouth to say something more, maybe to point out how he never said he was pleased to meet Jungwoo, but Jungwoo had turned his eyes to the front. Yerim passed between their desks, handing out the syllabi, and Lucas caught the smile Jungwoo gave her in thanks.

None of the assignments on the paper mattered as much as getting Jungwoo to smile at _him_ like that.

Taeil had begun speaking, but Lucas was too distracted to listen. He spun his water bottle on the table, trying to figure out a way to signal to Jungwoo that he was the best this school had to offer. Mark at least was making notes on the syllabus. Absentmindedly, Lucas unscrewed the top of the water bottle when an idea struck him.

As nonchalant as possible, he leaned back and angled his chest a little towards Jungwoo. Then he raised the water bottle, the movement drawing his shirt tight around his bicep, tipped his head back so that Jungwoo could get a good luck at his throat, and took a huge sip.

Mark turned to look at him, elbowed him in the side and said, “Bro, give me some too”, and Lucas choked on the water.

He leaned forward, coughing out the water over his desk. Mark was laughing and trying to apologize, but that was irrelevant when there was a hand placed on Lucas’ shoulder. Jungwoo was leaning towards him, smile replaced by a worried frown.

“Are you okay?” Jungwoo asked, hand still on Lucas’ shoulder. Lucas nodded, tried to hold his cough in and look unaffected at the same time. It worked about as well as expected, but Jungwoo did remove his hand and sit back down. Lucas wondered if maybe he should have faked something worse. Behind Jungwoo, Lucas caught Donghyuck’s eye. Mark may be as oblivious as a rock, but Donghyuck was too perceptive for Lucas’ good. So instead of throwing himself on the floor or doing something else equally as dramatic, Lucas turned his attention to Taeil and tried to ignore his embarrassment.

 

Taeil wrapped up the class with instructions for the first homework assignment. Lucas had managed to forget all about his failed attempt at attracting Jungwoo’s attention. He hoped that he would get another chance before their next class, but watched with disappointment how Jungwoo stayed behind to talk with Taeil. Donghyuck elbowed him in the ribs, much more harshly than Mark had, and Lucas took the hint and left the classroom.

“I can’t believe this”, Donghyuck exclaimed once the door was closed behind them. Students were hurrying by, barely paying them more attention than the occasional glance. “One look at the new kid and Lucas is head-over-heels. This is too ridiculous.”

Mark looked at Donghyuck, then Lucas, with big eyes. “Lucas likes Jungwoo?” Donghyuck laughed, as did Jaemin.

“I swear, sometimes you are the dumbest person I know”, Donghyuck teased and rolled his eyes. “And I know a lot of idiots.”

“I don’t _like_ him”, Lucas said and laughed. “He’s just really cute and well…” He didn’t dare to finish his sentence with the sharp look Donghyuck was aiming at him.

“If you are going after him just because he is the new shiny toy then don’t. He is actually really nice,” Donghyuck said. Lucas laughed again. What else was he supposed to do? Donghyuck was the scariest person he knew.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going after _anyone_.” Donghyuck huffed disbelievingly.

“We should get going”, Renjun said, ever the peacemaker. “We’ve got history next. We’ll see you guys at lunch.” He tugged at Jeno’s sleeve and the two of them headed off. Lucas glanced at the clock.

“I’ll stop by the bathroom. See you guys in class”, he said and left Donghyuck, Mark and Jaemin in the hallway.

There was a queue, but Lucas walked straight past it. No one protested. He didn’t really need to use the bathroom, but instead stopped in front of the mirror. He fixed his hair and filled the damned water bottle, gave his reflection a smile. Satisfied with how he looked, he headed out. Jungwoo didn't stand a chance against his face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 


	2. Chapter 2

“Ay, hyung”, Lucas whispered and poked Mark in the shoulder until he looked up from his book. “Who’s the most handsome person in this school?”

Mark turned his attention back to his book with a huff that was somewhere between amusement and exasperation. Lucas glanced around the library, but as the librarian was nowhere in sight, he resumed his pestering.

“C’mon, bro. Just tell me. Be honest.” Lucas put his hand over the page Mark was reading.

“I don’t know”, Mark rebutted and pulled his book free.

“It’s me, right?” Lucas asked with a wide smile. Of course it was him, even Mark would have to admit that.

“I guess you’re okay.” Mark levelled one final glare at Lucas, but Lucas had sat back in his chair with a pout.

“Well, your whole family is abnormally gorgeous anyway so your opinion doesn’t count.” He looked around for someone else who would surely see reason. There was a group of sophomore girls a few tables down that met his eyes before looking away giggling. Lucas waved at them, but he was too preoccupied to pay them any more attention. He leaned closer to Mark so that he wouldn’t have to whisper.

“Do you think Jungwoo thinks I’m handsome?” Lucas wiggled his eyebrows.

“I. Don’t. Know.”

“I mean of course he does.”

Mark chuckled and started packing his bag. “Sure. Seeing you cough up water all over yourself was definitely your finest moment.” He stood up, completely heartless to the betrayal Lucas felt, and that he was trying to convey with his eyes. “I’m going to get a coffee and head to class in time. See you at the pitch after school.”

Lucas was too busy brooding on Mark’s savage, but admittedly truthful, words. What if Jungwoo hadn’t realized quite how good-looking Lucas was? Quickly Lucas pulled out his phone and turned on the front camera. He might have looked a little tired, but that was it. Maybe Jungwoo didn’t care about looks?

Lucas dialled Donghyuck’s number.

“What?”

“Who’s the most handsome in this school?”

“What am I, your enchanted mirror?”

“No”, Lucas said, “you’d be a shitty one. What I’m asking is, does Jungwoo realize that I’m the most handsome dude he will ever see?” He could hear Donghyuck laugh on the other end.

“Do you even know if he is gay?”

“I can turn any boy gay”, Lucas said loudly.

Donghyuck laughed again. “You wish.” And he hung up. Lucas frowned at his phone. Donghyuck was infuriating, but he also raised a valid point. Lucas would have to find out if Jungwoo was gay. He smirked and got up. The librarian was headed his way with an angry expression, so he turned around and hurried out of the quiet reading area.

He couldn’t just ask Jungwoo, but thankfully he had the perfect plan.

 

Lucas got out of his biology class five minutes early by, well, walking out five minutes early. This left him enough time to sprint down three flights of stairs and to the other end of the school building and catch his breath before the school bell rang. During class he had done some world-class sleuthing and found out that Jungwoo had had history together with Jaemin and Renjun, which meant that Lucas had been able to plan a coincidental meeting.

He surveyed the empty hallway and chose a spot a little bit away from the classroom door, so that the crowd would have time to thin out before it reached Lucas. He put down his bag and shrugged out of his blazer. The school uniform was completely formless, but Lucas had been working out and he knew that after his face, his arms were his best asset. His fingers fumbled as he hurried to roll up his sleeves and position his shoulder against the lockers so that he could lean against it nonchalantly.

The plan was this: Jungwoo would walk out, probably chatting with Renjun and Jaemin. He would look up, with that soft smile of his on his lips, and his eyes would glance around the hallway. He would spot Lucas, casually leaning against the lockers, hips cocked to make his butt strain against his trousers, arms on display. Lucas would smile his go-getter-smile, all the while prepared to capture Jungwoo in his arms when the other inevitably swooned.

A flawless plan really.

The school bell rang and Lucas assumed position, tilting his head just so to show off his best angles. Within a few seconds the doors slammed open and students rushed out and filled the hallway with chatter.

Lucas had perhaps forgotten that there were more classes than that of Jungwoo’s, because the hallway was filled in moments. But it would be fine, Lucas thought and stretched his jaw in preparation for that killer smile. Lucas was tall. With his eyes glued to the door, he spotted Jungwoo the moment he walked out. He was clutching a book and a stack of hand-outs against his chest, eyes on his feet, listening to Jaemin chatter about something. Lucas launched his smile.

Moving along with the crowd, half a step behind Renjun, Jungwoo walked right past him without a glance. Lucas’ smile dropped instantly and he pushed aside two juniors who wanted to get to their lockers. Lucas stayed by the wall and jogged his way until he was way ahead of his friends and Jungwoo. He tried to take his position again, ignored the girl giving him a glare when he slammed her locker shut to lean against it.

Jungwoo was looking at his phone.

Lucas ran again. He was running out of lockers. Hurriedly he cut through the crowd to the other side. His hand hit a locker with a loud thud. His fingers curled around the edge into the next one, which stood open. Now he was winded again, but he did his best to smile. This time it would be impossible to ignore him, as he stood practically in Jungwoo’s path.

The locker was slammed shut and Lucas’ scream of pain was indeed impossible to ignore. Everyone turned to look at him, but Lucas’ attention was on his reddening fingers. The boy who had closed the locker was probably apologizing, but Lucas couldn’t hear him over his own cursing.

“Hyung?”

“Are you okay, Lucas-ssi?”

Lucas looked up, teary eyes meeting with Jungwoo’s worried ones. The first thought in Lucas’ head was “success”. The second was “oh no”.

“I’m fine”, Lucas said. His fingers were pulsing with heat. “Really.” He tried to lean against the locker again. Bad idea. “Oh fuck”, he cursed and clutched his hand to his chest again.

“You should probably go to the nurse”, Jaemin suggested with a blank face. “Me and Renjun have got marching band practice, but maybe Jungwoo could take you.”

“Oh. Yeah. Maybe you are right.” Lucas fucking loved Jaemin. “I mean, it doesn’t really hurt and stuff, but maybe that’s for the best.” Lucas glanced at Jungwoo, who had a cute small frown on his face. He nodded and moved his book to one arm. With the other one he grabbed Lucas’ uninjured arm by the wrist.

“Let’s go. You need to get something cold on that”, he said and started walking. Lucas grinned at Jaemin, who rolled his eyes. Renjun was holding a hand in front of his mouth to hide his smile. Without protest, Lucas allowed himself be tugged towards to stairs.

When they made it up the stairs, Jungwoo slowed down. “I actually don’t know where the nurse is?” he said. Lucas couldn’t help but laugh. He nodded to the left and began leading the way. When he felt Jungwoo loosen his grip on his wrist, Lucas instead took his hand. He forgot all about his pain when Jungwoo held on.

The walk to the nurse’s office was too short in Lucas’ opinion. When they reached the door, Jungwoo let go and Lucas could find no suave way to take his hand again. So instead he knocked and allowed Jungwoo to think that the blush on his cheeks went unnoticed.

“I think I should probably go. I hope it doesn’t hurt too bad”, Jungwoo said. Lucas turned to him, ignored the faint “come in” he could hear from inside the office. He wanted to ask Jungwoo if maybe he could wait. If he could give his phone number. If he wanted to go on a date.

“Are you gay?”

Jungwoo stared at Lucas, face completely unreadable. He walked away without answering and for once Lucas couldn’t blame him. He hit himself on the forehead, only to have to bite back a whimper. He really should get his hand looked at. Maybe the nurse would have something for his brain malfunction as well.

Lucas stepped inside the office and came face-to-face with a familiar face.

“Ten hyung?”

“Oh, hi!” Ten smiled and stood up. “Yes, it’s me.”

“What are you doing here? What happened to… Nurse Choi?” Lucas was pretty sure her name had been Choi.

“Mark didn’t tell you?” Ten said and gestured for Lucas to sit down. “I had to do my internship this fall and I got this job! Nurse Choi went on maternity leave. I thought, why not? I already know this place and I’ve got my evenings free. It’s perfect.”

Lucas sat down and placed his aching hand on the table in front of Ten. Now that Ten mentioned it, Lucas did remember that he had heard Ten talk about majoring in nursing before. Maybe.

“What’s up?” Ten asked. Lucas glanced down at his swollen, red fingers. Ten followed his line of sight.

“Oh.” He took Lucas’ hand carefully in his. “Can you move your fingers?” Lucas did, but damn it hurt. “Alright, I don’t think anything’s broken. I’ll get you a gel pack, just give me a second.” He got up and retrieved a blue pack that he hit on the table a couple of times before handing it to Lucas. “So what happened?”

“An idiot slammed his locker door on my fingers”, Lucas answered and placed the ice pack on his hand carefully.

“Why were your fingers in an idiot’s locker?” Ten asked matter of factly while he typed on his computer.

“I was trying to impress someone.” This caught Ten’s attention. He turned to face Lucas fully with a grin on his face.

“Really? Who?”

“It’s this new kid. He’s really cute but I don’t know how to get his attention”, Lucas admitted. He hadn’t expected for Ten to laugh. Not when he was being all honest and vulnerable and shit. “What?”

“You just remind me of me. Do you remember when I transferred to this school for my senior year?” Lucas shook his head. “Well, you were a freshman, you probably wouldn’t. Anyway. I liked Taeyong the moment I saw him. I thought he was the prettiest boy I’d ever seen.” Ten’s smile had turned soft, his eyes drawn to a picture on his desk. It was a photograph of Taeyong and Ten, wrapped in a blanket. “So of course I started doing the dumbest things to get him to like me. All I got for my efforts was a nervous, high-pitched laugh.”

“All I’m getting are pitying stares”, Lucas said and leaned back in his chair. “So what did you do?” Maybe Ten had a trick up his sleeve Lucas didn’t know about, because he and Taeyong had been dating forever. It was disgusting really, whenever Lucas visited Mark, to walk in on his older brother and Ten making out in the kitchen.

“I started dancing with him”, Ten said. “We became friends. And then it just… sort of happened.” Lucas sighed heavily. “Not what you wanted to hear?”

“Not really.” He got up. “I’ll figure something out. Thanks for the ice and stuff.”

“It’s a gel pack!” Ten called after him when Lucas left the office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if u've got any ideas on Lucas being Dumb then I'd love to read them xx


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think next chapter is when things start happening... maybe? for now, enjoy lucas making a fool of himself xx

By the time classes were over, the swelling in Lucas’ fingers had started to go down. It still hurt a little to straighten them, but Lucas was almost entirely sure that he would recover. It was a good thing that soccer was played with your feet and not hands.

The locker room was noisy and somehow smelly, despite everyone having just showed up for practice. Lucas avoided high fives to the best of his ability and sat down next to Mark and Donghyuck. It felt weird to be in the locker room without the loud seniors that had dominated the space last year. No one was sitting in the spot that used to be Sicheng’s, and there was no Yoonoh humming in Lucas’ ear. Instead Donghyuck was standing on the bench, singing at the top of his lungs, almost drowned out by Chenle’s laugh.

Some things didn’t change.

Lucas tipped out the contents of his bag on the floor and began changing. There were a lot of new faces in the room as well, people ready to join the team and hopeful about making it into the line-up for the first game. Lucas didn’t have to worry. He had scored most goals for the team last season: his position at the top of the formation was secure.

If he had been paying attention he might have noticed Jungwoo a little earlier. It wasn’t until they stood up to head out to the pitch that he caught sight of him, chatting to some kid Lucas didn’t know or care about. Lucas’ calm evaporated in a second.

The sun was still shining, the grass was patchy but mostly green, and a few scattered groups had sat down in the bleachers to watch the first practice. It wasn’t like the soccer team was the jewel of the school, but they were the only athletes who actually did well in the school’s uniform, so it made sense that the rest of the student body took pride in them. Lucas considered them the royalty of the school and himself their king, but that was neither here nor there.

Coach Lee and Johnny were standing by the benches. Lucas jogged up to the assistant coach with a grin and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Youngho-ssi”, he greeted.

Johnny patted him on the back with a laugh. “Yukhei-ssi. How was your summer?”

“It was alright. Yours?” Johnny opened his mouth to answer, but the rest of the group had almost reached them, so Lucas didn’t wait for an answer. “Anyway, Johnny, could you do me a favor? If we are playing small or something, put me on the same team with Jungwoo. He’s the cute one. Thanks man. You are a true bro.” Lucas stepped back to join the rest of the team, ignoring Johnny’s amused expression.

Coach Lee was passionate but matter-of-fact. He went through their rules, which Lucas mostly tuned out, then explained that they would all train together until he chose his team for the season. Everyone would get to practice, but only the best would get to play. Lucas kept glancing at Jungwoo, whose whole attention was on the coach. Lucas hoped he was actually good. Not as good as Lucas, obviously, but good enough to make the team.

Once Coach Lee was done talking, Johnny took over for the warm ups. Mark lead them around the field twice. Because Taeyong graduated, he had been named their captain for his senior year.

By the time they stopped in front of Johnny, he had set up orange cones and a ladder on the pitch. After a quick demonstration he stepped to the side and started shouting encouragements as the players began running the course at an increasing pace. By the time Johnny called a stop to it and told them to get a drink, Lucas had worked up a decent sweat.

With his water bottle in hand, and mindful of not choking again, he glanced in Jungwoo’s direction to see if maybe the other was checking him out. Instead, Jungwoo was bent over, hands on the ground to stretch his legs, and coincidentally with his ass facing in Lucas’ direction. Lucas spat out the water in his mouth.

“Alright guys”, Coach Lee called out and Jungwoo stood up straight again. Lucas both thanked and cursed the coach. “Johnny’s going to hand out the vests and divide you into four teams. We’ll start with smaller games and I’ll go around to make some assessments. No goals, just make sure that your team keeps the ball.” Lucas had never stared so intently at Johnny ever before. Johnny gave him a discreet nod when he handed Lucas a yellow vest. He walked along the line, giving out vests randomly. Then he got to Jungwoo, with a flourish gave a vest to the kid before him and walked on.

Lucas would need to have words with Johnny later about his definition of the word cute.

Thankfully, not all was lost, as Jungwoo joined the vest-less players in the same square that Lucas was in. Lucas recalculated and decided that this would work as well. He would do all the tricks and Jungwoo would see them and realize how impressive Lucas was.

Coach Lee blew the whistle and Jisung put the ball in motion. It got quickly to Lucas, who feinted successfully past one of the defending players before passing the ball. Too bad Jungwoo got to it first. He managed to reach it right before Lucas’ teammate and quickly passed it to Donghyuck. Lucas stared, affronted that his perfect performance had gone to waste. He caught sight of Coach Lee observing them and remembered that he should probably get the ball back.

His chance came when the ball was passed to Jungwoo again. He was close enough and the pass was just a touch too hard for Jungwoo to get it perfectly under control. Lucas rushed forward, but Jungwoo turned so that he was between Lucas and the ball, back to Lucas and one hand up so that he couldn't get past him. And that was how Lucas found himself pressed against Jungwoo’s back, hands touching his sides but not taking hold. And Jungwoo’s butt was right there, moving against Lucas’ crotch, and this was about to get awkward really soon. Lucas would blame it on being distracted, but suddenly the ball rolled between his legs and Jungwoo twisted around him. Lucas turned in time to see him pass the ball to Jeno. He might have imagined Jungwoo's satisfied smirk, but probably not.

By the time the coach blew the whistle and told them to get a drink Lucas was sweating in the non-attractive way and out of breath. Hence, he was very surprised that this was when Jungwoo decided to approach him.

“You are actually really good”, he said. His hair was plastered to his forehead, but he looked no less good for it, Lucas mused.

“Thanks. You too. What position do you play?” Lucas could make normal conversation.

“I played winger at my last school.”

“Cool. I’m a striker”, Lucas said with a wide smile. Jungwoo huffed out a laugh and dropped his water bottle on the ground.

“I guessed as much.” Before Lucas could ask for clarification, the coach called them over and Jungwoo walked away.

They moved on to drills that kept Jungwoo and Lucas separated and thus, thankfully, Jungwoo mostly out of Lucas’ mind so that he could focus on what he was doing. By the time Johnny divided them into two teams for half an hour of play on the big pitch, Lucas was feeling pretty good about himself and ready to show Coach Lee and Jungwoo what he was made of. Mostly Jungwoo though. The coach already knew.

This time Johnny got it right, though Lucas doubted it was on purpose. He and Jungwoo were put on the same team, Jungwoo playing on the left while Lucas took his lone spot in the front.

Lucas loved soccer. And most of all, he loved scoring the goal that won the game. This was both his best and his worst quality as a player, because he would fight for that goal, but also lose the ball when an easy pass could have resulted in someone else scoring instead. He was straight-forward and stronger than most.

But when Jungwoo played it was beautiful. He was fast, his touches soft and passes precise. When the first cross flew in the box perfectly for Lucas to head it in, Lucas knew that Jungwoo would play once the games started.

He also knew that he would have to do something extraordinary for Jungwoo to be impressed.

His chance came right after Johnny called out that they had five minutes left. Renjun passed the ball through the defensive line and Lucas had taken a head start, reaching the ball first and now well ahead of the defenders. He looked up to see the goalkeeper hesitate to come forward. It would be so easy to place the ball in the bottom corner, but would that be extraordinary? No, it wouldn’t.

So instead he aimed for just below the crossbar and shot just a little bit harder than necessary. The ball flew past the goalkeeper, who didn’t get his hands up in time, and Lucas was running too hard to stop. He started turning towards where he knew Jungwoo was to celebrate, but the ball didn’t reach the net. With a hard thud it hit the crossbar and bounced back out, hit Lucas on the side of his head and sent him falling out of pure shock.

His ears were ringing and he had broken his fall with the already injured hand, but when his teammates gathered around him Lucas bit his tongue and tried to laugh it off. Jungwoo was looking worried again and dammit that was not the reaction Lucas wanted.

“I’m fine, I’m fine”, Lucas said and and tried to get up on his feet. Renjun and Jungwoo helped him and Lucas allowed himself one moment of leaning into Jungwoo to get his bearings. The ringing in his ears was fading.

“You should go to the nurse”, Johnny said. Where had he come from? “With head injuries you should always be extra careful. I learnt my lesson after my third concussion.” Jungwoo was nodding and maybe if he came too Lucas could go…

“We’ll call it a day now”, Coach Lee said when he reached the group. “Well done everybody. Everybody, take a lap to cool off. Mark-yah, take Yukhei to the nurse. I’ll see you on Thursday.” He clapped his hands and the players set off.

“Will you be okay?” Jungwoo asked and oh, Lucas was still holding on to him. He should probably let go.

“I’m fine”, Lucas said and mustered a smile. Mark took Jungwoo’s place by Lucas’ side and Lucas quickly shook him off. “I can walk myself, thank you.” With one last smile Jungwoo ran off to catch up to the others, and Lucas groaned. He was in pain, both physical and emotional.

“That was a dumb shot”, Mark said as they began walking off the pitch towards the lockers.

“Would have been cool if I made it”, Lucas countered and glanced after his team. He wondered if Ten would understand what he had been doing.

(Ten told him to try something that wouldn’t get him injured.)

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u to everyone who has left kudos and the wonderful person who took the time to comment. i love u <3


	4. Chapter 4

On Friday, Lucas arrived late to the cafeteria because of his chat with Coach Lee. With a plate stacked high, he sat down at the table that his friends were already noisily occupying. Donghyuck was loudly teasing Mark, who protested through his laughter. Renjun was rehearsing his presentation to Jeno. Jeno was smiling and nodding along, but Lucas could spot the earbud he had tried to hide under his hood, and suspected that he was nodding along to music rather than anything Renjun was saying. Jaemin and Jungwoo were talking, their voices lower than Donghyuck’s, heads turned to each other. Lucas took the seat next to Jungwoo.

“What’s up guys”, he said loudly to get everyone’s attention. Renjun barely paused in his speech, Jeno smiled his way, but most importantly, Jungwoo leaned away from Jaemin.

“Where have you been?” Donghyuck asked. Lucas played coy, opening the wrapper around his muffin before he answered.

“Just talking to Coach Lee. He said there’s going to be some scouts at our first game next week. If I play well, they could offer me a scholarship for college.” He tried to sound chill about it, but god damn if he hadn’t been buzzing out of excitement when he left the coach’s office. He couldn’t believe that they were going to come and see him!

“Congrats man!” Mark and Donghyuck said in one voice.

“Congratulations, that’s huge”, Jungwoo said.

Lucas couldn’t help but show off. “It’s no big deal. Of course they are going to come to see me. I mean, I’m amazing.”

Donghyuck snorted. “Also humble.”

“The humblest”, Jaemin agreed with a roll of his eyes. Lucas glanced at Jungwoo to gauge his reaction, but Jungwoo had turned towards Jaemin again to continue whatever they had talked about. That wouldn’t do.

“Anyway! Everyone’s going to the party tomorrow?” Lucas asked and stuffed the muffin whole in his mouth.

“Party!” Donghyuck yelled loud enough to be heard over the whole cafeteria, without offering any further commentary.

Mark nodded, rubbing his ear. “I’ve invited everyone. Literally. Also, some of last year’s seniors are going to be there. Taeyong doesn’t trust me to not let it get out of hand.” Lucas snorted, and surreptitiously wiped away crumbs from his chin. Taeyong had a weird idea of things “not getting out of hand”, if the past years were any indication. Last year, Ten and Donghyuck had started a fight with fire extinguishers, which had resulted in the whole living room covered in foam. The year before that, the cops had showed up because of noise complaints. The year before that, which had been Lucas’ first party at the Lee house, no less than three people had ended their night at the emergency room with various injuries.

“Last year’s seniors?” Jungwoo asked, pulling Lucas out of his thoughts.

Jaemin answered. “Mark’s brother Taeyong, his boyfriend Ten, and at least Yoonoh, Dongyoung and I think Sicheng is coming? They all played for the team last year. Cool people.”

“I look forward to meeting them”, Jungwoo said with a smile that made Lucas’ heart melt.

“Well, they aren’t that cool”, he felt forced to interject.

“Because you are cooler?” Jungwoo asked, and was he teasing Lucas? Was this flirting? Lucas should probably say something. Flirt back.

“The coolest-est”, he said coolly. Mark was laughing for some reason. Not cool, bro.

“Excuse me?” a high voice said and all heads at the table turned. Lucas had to twist his neck to see the girl who had approached them. She was another senior, Soo-something? She was looking at Lucas with a nervous smile, hands clutching the strap of her bag.

“What?” Lucas asked. Why was he being interrupted when he was flirting?

“I just wanted to ask - about the party”, she smiled towards Mark quickly before looking at Lucas again, “if maybe you would want to go with me? Like on a date?”

Now normally, Lucas would be flattered. Normally, if he had never been out with the girl (or boy!) he would have said yes. But this was not normally. Jungwoo might be flirting with him and Jungwoo was the one Lucas wanted to take on a date, so who was Soo-something to come here and derail all of that???

“I don’t want to go on a date with you”, he said. “Leave me alone.” And okay, maybe that came out a bit too harsh because everyone was staring at him with a frown and oh no, Soo-something wasn’t about to cry, was she? Lucas turned away because he didn’t want to know.

“Oh-okay. Bye, I guess”, Soo-something said. Lucas was trying to remember where he was before they were interrupted. Oh yes, flirting. However, Jungwoo did not look at all inclined to flirt with him anymore.

“Dude”, Mark said.

“That was a dick move”, Donghyuck agreed.

“I’m going to go see if Sooyoung is okay”, Jeno said and got up. Renjun and Jaemin followed him, both giving Lucas judging looks before walking away. And Jungwoo was the worst. There was no trace of a smile on his lips or softness in his eyes. Lucas had probably fucked up.

“I’m going to head to class early”, Jungwoo said and got up. His chair scraped loudly against the floor.

Lucas looked from Donghyuck to Mark and hung his head. “I could have handled that better”, he muttered.

“You think?” Donghyuck said and threw a balled up napkin at him. “How can you make someone who’s nickname is Joy look that sad?”

Lucas shrugged. “It wasn’t on purpose. I just… she took me by surprise.”

“For an extrovert you are really bad at human interaction”, Mark said and sighed. “You should apologize. And be nice to her at the party. I should get going.”

“I’ll come with you”, Donghyuck said and threw Mark’s napkin at Lucas just to emphasize his point. He got up, but stopped next to Lucas, who wasn’t hungry at all anymore. “You do realize acting like a dick is not going to win Jungwoo over?” He left before Lucas could answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys (which includes gals and everyone else!)! I'm going on a vacation to South Korea and then moving to Hong Kong for an internship, so I probably won't be updating for awhile. But I promise to be back with a longer chapter to compensate for this shorter one! Love every single one of you who are reading this :* wish me luck!


	5. Chapter 5

Lucas had a plan. Step one, make a grand entrance at the party. Step two, apologize to Joy. Step three, let Jungwoo know that he has apologized. Step four, make Jungwoo fall in love with him by either a) dominating at beer pong, or b) winning a dance battle. And all of this would be executed looking fine as hell.

Satisfied with his plan and his outfit and his hair, Lucas gave his reflection a thumbs up and left his apartment. He would be staying at Mark’s house for the night; his parents were under the impression that it would be just a few of their friends and that when Lucas got back tired the following day it would be because they had stayed up gaming the whole night.

He took the subway and listened to his ‘I am the boss’ playlist to hype himself up. When he got off and began walking he started getting nervous. He wasn’t good at this whole apologizing thing, but he felt genuinely bad for how he had treated Joy, and even without Jungwoo in the picture, he would have apologized (of course, without Jungwoo in the picture, he would never have turned her down).

The uphill was a bitch, and Lucas stopped to catch his breath before ringing the doorbell. The gate buzzed open and he slipped inside, pushed it shut behind himself. The Lee parents were quite rich and quite absent, which meant that Mark could host parties at their home a few times a year.

At the moment, the music was muted enough not to be heard outside. Immediately when he stepped inside, there was a pile of shoes on the floor. Lucas toed out of his and tried to move them to the side in a futile attempt to not have them buried and eventually lost by the end of the night.

People were divided between the living room and the kitchen. The music was coming from the living room, where people were sitting and chatting, drinks in hand, still looking for a proper buzz. The kitchen was louder, and Lucas headed there. It felt almost crowded with all of Lucas’ friends gathered around the kitchen island. Ten was mixing drinks, Taeyong hugging him from behind, chin on Ten’s shoulder. Johnny was talking with Ten, Taeyong with Yoonoh, who was almost slapped in the face by Donghyuck as the younger gestured wildly while telling a story to Sicheng and Renjun. Mark was busy opening beers by the counter. Lucas pushed past to get to him. The sink had been filled with ice and beer. Mark handed him a beer without looking up.

“Looks pretty chill so far”, Lucas said in greeting and took a sip of his beer. Mark glanced up.

“Oh, hi, it’s you. Yeah. Though I’ve been so busy handing out beers I haven’t been able to have one myself.” Mark looked genuinely distraught. He popped open another beer. Wendy, another alumni, took it from him with a quick “Thanks!” before walking off. Lucas hid his chuckle by taking another sip.

“Maybe you should stand somewhere else? I’m sure most people here know how to use a bottle opener.”

“Probably.” Mark picked up another beer. “Okay, I’m making my escape. Wish me luck.” He popped the cap open, threw the opener on the counter and jogged off. Lucas laughed and walked away just in time to avoid Jisung and Chenle, who had dashed for the opener.

It took some time getting back through the kitchen, as Lucas greeted all of his friends and accepted a lukewarm shot of soju from Johnny on the way. He stopped between the two rooms and surveyed the living room. There was no sign of Jungwoo, but by the windows he spotted Joy chatting with Yerim. After a deep breath, he headed for them.

“Hi.”

Yerim looked murderous, Joy indifferent. They weren’t going to make this easy for him, were they? Lucas rubbed the back of his neck and tried to focus on Joy.

“About the thing in the cafeteria… I’m really sorry. I was super rude and I shouldn’t have been.” Lucas could not read either of their faces, but at least neither had punched him, so he figured he could continue. “Normally, like last year or whatever, I would have definitely said yes. I mean, you are gorgeous and really fun. It’s just…”

“You’ve got it bad for the new kid?” Joy said, and she was smiling. Thank god. Lucas started nodding, but wait - what?

“I do not - what are you talking - who..?”

“Jaemin told us”, Yerim said and took a sip of her bright red drink. She looked almost smug. “Said you’ve been all over the place since he transferred.”

“I have not been all over any of the places!” Lucas protested, which made both the girls burst out laughing.

“It’s okay”, Joy said with a smile. “I forgive you. To be honest, Mark is much more my type anyway.”

Lucas had never been this insulted in his life. He turned on his heel and walked away, Joy and Yerim’s laughter following him through the room.

To get some time to gather himself and review his plan, Lucas snuck into the bathroom and locked it. He leaned close to the mirror and corrected a few wayward strands. Step two of his plan had been a success. He frowned. He had completely forgotten about step one! Oh well, he thought and shrugged. Jungwoo wouldn’t have been there to see his grand entrance anyway.

With renewed focus he left the bathroom and headed back to the kitchen for another drink. This time he passed on the beer and stopped next to Ten instead.

“Make me something?” Lucas said. Ten looked up from his phone, his face breaking into a sunny smile.

“Absolutely! You want something strong or stronger?”

“Strong will be fine”, Lucas laughed. “Where’d you lose your other half?”

Ten started pouring two different liquors in a glass at the same time as if he knew what he was doing. “Taeyongie left to get more ice with Yoonoh.” He topped of the drink with one mint leaf before handing it to Lucas. “Did you apologize to Joy?”

“Yes. How do you know about that?” Lucas took a careful sip of his drink. It didn’t taste half-bad.

Ten started mixing another. “Joohyun told me about it. She was pretty pissed.” Lucas did not appreciate the smirk on his face. An angry Joohyun was not something to laugh about. She might be tiny, but Lucas was absolutely convinced she could hurt him if she wanted to.

“Is she here?”

“Of course”, Ten said and tried his newest drink.

“Shit.” Joohyun had been one of the most popular students in her class and friends with most of the soccer players. Of course she would be here. Lucas glanced around the kitchen. “I don’t want to hide upstairs the whole party”, he whined.

Ten laughed, but his focus was on his phone. “I hope you survive. I’m going to go meet Taeyongie and Yoonoh, apparently the ice weighs a ton. See you around.” With a last smirk at Lucas, Ten brushed past him. Lucas downed half of his drink. If he was going to be cornered by Joohyun, he would have to be drunk for it.

By the time the ice arrived, Mark and Donghyuck had cleared out the dining room table and set it up for beer pong. Donghyuck poured soju into each cup while no one was looking. After Donghyuck beat Dongyoung, an alumni who now studied at one of the best universities in Seoul, Lucas played against Mark. They were down to their last cups, and Lucas was definitely feeling the buzz, even as he gulped down the somaek from his second to last cup. When he looked up, he spotted Jungwoo standing just behind Donghyuck.

And Jungwoo looked good. His hair was shining under the kitchen lights, his skin was glowing, his jeans were so tight, and wow Lucas was drunk. He threw his ball and missed, almost hitting Dongyoung with it. The crowd burst into teasing laughter. Lucas chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. Jungwoo was smiling.

Mark hit Lucas’ last cup and started whooping loudly. Lucas stared down at the ball, floating in the somaek. He never lost at beer pong. What the hell just happened? Renjun pushed him out of the way and started setting up a new game, so Lucas grabbed his last cup and walked to the other side of the table.

“Good game, bro”, Mark said and clapped him on the shoulder with an obnoxiously wide grin. Lucas only nodded and continued past him, until he stopped in front of Jungwoo.

“Hi. I apologized to Joy.”

“Okay.”

Lucas looked at Jungwoo and Jungwoo looked at Lucas.

Then Dongyoung was there with two drinks in his hands. He handed one of them to Jungwoo. Jungwoo turned to him with a smile and a quiet “Thank you”.

“No problem. Do you want to play beer pong? Or somaek pong?” Dongyoung laughed at his own joke and Jungwoo chuckled. Lucas didn't find it funny at all. Dongyoung put an arm over Jungwoo's shoulder and lead him back to the beer pong table, and Lucas was left to look after them.

Two hours later Lucas was too drunk. His drinks had turned from mostly beer to all soju. He had lost three more games of beer pong, one of them against Jeno, which was completely unheard of. He caught glimpses of Jungwoo here and there, always with Dongyoung, laughing and touching him like they had known each other forever.

Lucas was taking a break from drinking on Taeyong’s suggestion, when one of his favorite songs started playing in the living room and Lucas spotted Jungwoo dancing. He remembered his plan and decided to initiate step four, option b. He pushed his way through the bystanders and joined the ring of people that had formed on the floor. Jisung was currently dancing in the middle, movements fluid despite the flush on his cheeks. He ended on a pirouette and stumbled off towards Chenle, who was laughing so hard he kept spilling his drink on whoever was standing next to him. Ten pulled Taeyong into the middle of the circle and the ring cheered, but Lucas kept his eyes on Jungwoo.

Jungwoo’s hair was sticking to his forehead. Had he been dancing? He looked like he was having fun, Lucas thought, even as he whooped at something the couple did. Next to him Dongyoung was laughing.

Lucas turned his attention to the dancing couple, looking for an opening for him to take over the spotlight.

Along with his nursing degree, Ten was also teaching at a dance studio in the evenings, and Taeyong was studying at a performing arts school, majoring in music production with a minor in dance. This meant that they were both absolutely flawless, even drunk. They danced around each other, coordinating their movements without saying a word. Lucas was too drunk to consider whether he had any chance of impressing Jungwoo after their performance.

Instead, when Ten pulled Taeyong close to him and Taeyong placed an arm on Ten’s shoulders, Lucas stepped forward and pushed them away with a shout of “Get a room!” The crowd laughed. Ten smirked at Lucas and started pulling Taeyong away, while the other tried to cover his blush with his free hand.

My time to shine, Lucas thought, decidedly did not look at Jungwoo, and danced. He raised his arms to show them off and flashed a grin. The beat of the song was nearing its drop, so Lucas decided that now was his time to kill, before anyone could interrupt him. In the half a second of silence he decided on a jump-and-hip-thrust-move, and when the bass returned he reached for his crotch, stepped to the side, and stumbled over his left foot.

He fell right into Jungwoo’s arms.

“Are you okay?” Jungwoo asked with a laugh. And Lucas laughed too. How in the world had he managed to fuck this up too? He should never make plans. Ever.

“I’m fine”, Lucas said and righted himself. He kept his hand on Jungwoo’s forearm, not sure if he actually needed the support, but just in case. “A little drunk maybe.”

“A little”, Jungwoo laughed. “Let’s get you somewhere quieter, hmm?”

Well… fuck. Had his plan actually worked? Lucas stared at Jungwoo. Should he make more plans? He should make all the plans.

“Somewhere quieter so that you can take a closer look at these guns?” he said without planning. He raised his arm again, flexed his bicep. Jungwoo’s smile became tighter, but he grabbed a hold of Lucas’ wrist and lead him out from the living room anyway.

In the throng, someone’s elbow connected with Lucas’ stomach, and he realized that he wasn’t feeling very well. He was not going to throw up in front of Jungwoo.

“I’ll just quickly go to the bathroom, okay?” he said and pulled free from Jungwoo’s grasp. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.” He hurried down the hallway and rushed into the bathroom that was thankfully empty. He dropped down to his knees in front of the toilet and leaned over it, but nothing came up, thankfully. He stayed like that until the nausea had passed.

His reflection had become sweatier, his hair messier, but he still looked good. Lucas managed a smile and pushed the door open.

Right outside the bathroom a couple was making out and blocking Lucas’ exit. Jaemin had Jeno pressed against the wall, looking like he was doing his best to climb the other, while Jeno’s arms were doing their best to help him. Lucas cleared his throat twice before Jaemin pulled away from the heated kiss to look at him. They were both breathing heavily, and Jeno’s eyes looked a little glazed over.

Instead of an apology, which was what Lucas expected, Jaemin frowned and said, “You’re not Renjun.”

“Clearly.”

“We thought he was in the bathroom”, Jaemin said again. His hand was rubbing at the back of Jeno’s neck. It was distracting to both Jeno and Lucas.

“Well, he wasn’t”, Lucas said and pushed past them. “Lucky him.” He hurried his steps when he heard Jeno moan.

Jungwoo was no longer where Lucas had left him. Looking around, Lucas caught sight of Mark, who nodded towards the door. Lucas raised a confident thumbs up. He took a second to gather himself before he stepped outside on the porch. There Jungwoo was, sitting on the steps leading up to the porch, a bottle of water next to him.

Lucas managed to sit down without stumbling. Jungwoo smiled softly and handed him the water bottle. Lucas drank obediently. Here the music was merely a muted thump to drown out the buzzing in Lucas’ head.

“So…” Lucas began and put away the bottle. “You wanted to get me alone?” He tried to smile his killer smile, but his face felt weird. He was sure he mostly succeeded anyway.

“I wanted to get you some fresh air”, Jungwoo corrected.

“Really? No ulterior motives?” Lucas continued prodding and scooted closer to him.

“Well, to be honest, I didn’t want to say this in front of everyone”, Jungwoo said and pulled his knees closer to himself. Lucas’ heart was beating in time with the bass. “Could you stop?”

Lucas frowned. “Stop what?”

“Coming onto me? Flirting? Doing all that to impress me or something.”

“Why?”

“It’s embarrassing.”

“I don’t mind embarrassing myself”, Lucas said quickly. This conversation was not going at all like he had planned.

“You’re embarrassing me”, Jungwoo snapped. Lucas pulled away from him. He had never heard Jungwoo speak like that. Before Lucas could get a word out - because what -, Jungwoo stood up. He wasn’t looking at Lucas. “I’m kind of tired, I think I’ll go home. I just need to get my shoes.” He stopped with his hand on the door handle. “Sorry.”

Lucas did not get up. He didn’t move when Jungwoo walked past him again or when Jungwoo’s form disappeared around the corner. The nausea was back. He pulled himself to the side of the porch steps and threw up into a potted plant.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh. Sorry for being awol for so long, I spent a couple of weeks in Korea, but now I've settled into my new life in Hong Kong, so expect quicker updates.
> 
> I actually really like this chapter. All the side pairings are having the time of their lives while luwoo seems to be over. Muah.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you thought. I live for the feedback xx


	6. Chapter 6

Lucas spent Saturday and Sunday holed up in his room with his gaming console and convenience store ice tea, doing his best to not think about the party. Come Sunday evening, he panicked and ambushed his mother in the middle of her nightly beauty routine. Lucas sat down on the closed toilet seat and groaned to let her know he needed Help.

“What is it, Yukhei love?” she asked patiently without taking her eyes off her own reflection.

“There's a boy.”

“There always is”, she said with a small smile and applied a light emulsion on her skin. Lucas nodded in agreement and picked up her eye cream to turn it in his hands. “Well, what about this boy?”

“He doesn't like me. I think. Maybe he did? I don't know. But I think I screwed things up with him.”

“What can you do to fix it?” She asked, stroking the emulsion down her neck.

Lucas shrugged. “He took me aside during the par- on Friday at Mark's. Said I was embarrassing him.” He handed her the eye cream before she could ask. “Told me to stop hitting on him.”

“Perhaps that's what you should do then.”

Lucas stood up and searched the counter for her night cream.

“Tell me about him.”

Lucas picked up the cream and hummed. “He is the kindest person I ever met. So pretty. Quiet, but not a pushover.” He looked up to see his mother smiling at him through the mirror. He unscrewed the cap and handed her the cream.

“You always liked the nice ones”, she said and reached back to take his hand over her shoulder. “Listen to him and maybe he will give you a second chance.” Lucas squeezed her hand and nodded.

“Okay, Mom. Thanks.”

 

On Monday Lucas’ first class was with Jungwoo. When he got to the classroom Jungwoo was already there, seated next to Donghyuck with his homework spread out on his desk. Lucas had to walk by him to get to his seat and when he passed, Jungwoo looked up and smiled. It was less blinding than normally, more nervous. Lucas answered it with a wave and an assuring - he hoped - smile and took his seat next to Mark.

During lunch Lucas tried to keep his eyes off Jungwoo and focused instead on listening to Mark and Donghyuck retell the biggest moments of the party. Lucas had gone to bed right after he threw up, which meant that he had missed Johnny's attempt at doing the ice bucket challenge four years after it was relevant. Renjun laughed through a story about how Sicheng danced on the kitchen table to Yoonoh singing a children’s song. While he was talking, Jaemin rested his head on his shoulder, attention on his phone. Lucas would never get how well Renjun got along with Jaemin. If someone had showed up and started dating _his_ ex, Lucas would never be able to cuddle up like that with them.

They had practice after school, and Coach Lee announced the starting eleven for their game on Friday. There were no big surprises: Lucas had retained his position as their striker, Jeno was playing defensive midfielder under Mark, and Jungwoo would be playing on the left. Lucas smiled in encouragement at him. When they began practicing, Lucas kept his head in the game. He scored from two passes by Jungwoo. He lost the ball a couple of times when dribbling, but Mark covered up his mistakes. All in all, it was a good session. And when they walked off the pitch he told Jungwoo he was looking forward to the game. Jungwoo agreed.

Lucas drove home feeling pretty pleased with himself.

 

On Friday, there was electricity in the air at the school. Lucas could feel it the moment he stepped on school grounds. Everyone around him echoed the same excitement that he had felt the moment he woke up that morning. Today was the first game of the season and, hopefully, their first win of the season.

It was impossible to focus in his classes, and in between them students walked up to him to wish him luck. His head was mostly in the game already. Sometimes, he found himself staring at Jungwoo. Because of the game, it had been easier not to think about the other boy this week. His humiliation from the party was forgotten, mostly because he didn’t really feel humiliated anymore. The fact that Jungwoo had turned him down in private and apparently hadn’t told anyone about it, that proved how fucking nice he was. And Lucas was not going to be anything but that towards him. So he talked to Jungwoo during lunch, helped him carry his books between classes, and gave him his chocolate bar after practice on Wednesday when his stomach growled. But he did not flirt with him or pull anymore stunts to get his attention. In Donghyuck’s words: “You can be a good boy if you really want to.”

After his classes ended Lucas hurried home. He tried to get started on his Advanced Korean assignment, but by the time he was called for dinner he had barely written a paragraph. In the kitchen, he found his mother setting up the table with two bowls of bibimbap. As they ate, she complained about his father's long hours, about a customer at the hair salon she worked at, about not having the time to make other food than rice and leftovers. Lucas was happy for the distraction. His excitement had turned to nervousness, the bouncing of his leg worse the closer the game came.

She drove him back to school after they'd finished eating and he had done the dishes. With a kiss on the cheek, she wished him good luck and left to find a coffee before the game would begin.

The locker room was loud but organized. Johnny's speakers were blasting, but still there were a few people who had their own headphones on so that they could focus properly. Most were chatting about things unrelated to the game, some sharing memories of their opponent from last years’ games. Coach Lee and Johnny were nowhere to be seen. Mark, already changed into his boots and warm-up shirt, glanced at Lucas when he took his place next to him and nodded in greeting before refocusing on his hands. He was never talkative before games, so Lucas knew not to disturb him. Instead he began getting changed and turned to Donghyuck.

“You ready?”

“I've been ready for weeks. Let's just win this first game so that I can stop being so nervous.”

“Agreed. We won them last year.”

“Yeah.”

Lucas stood up to pull on his shorts and looked around the room until he found Jungwoo. He was sitting at the end of the bench, already changed into his gear, and completely disengaged from the conversation Jeno and some other kid were having next to him. His eyes were focused on his hands which were tightly clasped in his lap.

Lucas felt a tug in his heart at the sight. He remembered being nervous too before his first game, though it had only made him louder and livelier. Jungwoo looked like he was five seconds from vomiting or crying.

Quickly Lucas pulled his shirt on, but before he could make it across the room to Jungwoo, Coach Lee and Johnny entered and called the team to attention.

“Everyone ready? Good. Get on the pitch, Johnny will take you through the warm-ups. Once you're done come back here to pull on your jerseys and we'll have a chat about our game plan. All clear?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. Get to it then.”

The whole team stood up as one and hustled outside. Lucas was unable to reach Jungwoo, but his chance came when Mark lead them in a jog around the pitch. He picked up his pace and slowed down when he was next to Jungwoo.

“You okay?” he asked.

Jungwoo was pale, but he nodded. “I'm good. Just a little nervous.” He took a deep breath. “A lot nervous, actually.”

“That's totally normal. Everyone is, especially for their first game.”

“I know.”

“You'll do fine.”

“I hope so.”

They had circled the pitch and were back to where Johnny had arranged the cones. Lucas glanced at Jungwoo as they separated into two lines to begin the warm-ups. The nerves would pass.

Having worked up a comfortable sweat, the team moved back into the locker room. Coach Lee took them through the visiting team's probable game plan, announced roles for the corners, and reminded them of everything they had practiced. The longer he spoke the paler Jungwoo became. Lucas could see his hands shake from where he was sitting.

“Okay, you've got this. Three minutes and we go out.”

Lucas stood up at the same time as Donghyuck, who hurried to get first into the bathroom, but by the time he had reached Jungwoo's locker, the other was gone. Lucas pushed past Jeno and out through the door into the hallway that lead out from the sports complex.

He found Jungwoo outside, crouched down with his head in his hands, hidden in the shadows of a column that supported the building. He didn't look up when Lucas approached, not even when Lucas carefully touched him on the shoulder. He was shaking.

“Hey. Hey. It's okay, you're okay.”

A sob interrupted the tremors running through Jungwoo’s body.

“Hyung?” Lucas tried again. With another muffled sob Jungwoo leaned towards him, and Lucas wrapped his arms as best as he could around him. “It's okay. You've been so good at practice. Remember that cross yesterday? That I headed in? It was fucking perfect. You did that.” Lucas could feel Jungwoo wipe his tears, face still hidden. “You'll do it again today. And if you don't that's fine too. It's okay.”

Finally, Jungwoo looked up. His eyes were red and his cheeks wet, but the shaking had started to subside and the sobs had turned into hiccups. He met Lucas’ eyes. “What if I mess it up and we lose?”

Lucas shook his head. “You are too good for that. Besides, if you fuck up, I'll just score another goal and we'll win anyway.” He grinned. Jungwoo chuckled softly, but then he nodded and wiped his cheeks one last time with the back of his hand.

“It's a deal”, he said. He stood up and so did Lucas, still holding him in his arms. Jungwoo was a little shorter than him. He had never noticed before. “The game's about to start.” Lucas nodded and reluctantly let go.

When they walked back inside, the rest of the opening eleven was already lined up in front of the door. The players starting on the bench and the coaches had already left. Thankfully, nobody even paid attention to Lucas and Jungwoo joining the end of the line. Jungwoo's red eyes went unnoticed, but Lucas could see that the fear in them had been replaced by determination.

The marching band stopped playing on the pitch, Mark pushed the door open, they walked out to the cheers of thousands, and amidst it all Lucas realized that he was in love with Jungwoo.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was quick with this one \o/ so... lucas had a moment there. what did you guys think? xo


	7. Chapter 7

“You are not in love. You have known him for three weeks.” Donghyuck rolled his eyes, and Lucas was offended.

“Who are you to decide what I do or do not feel?” he asked, wished the light would switch so that he could cross the street and get away from Donghyuck's judging. He needed to get better friends: romantics and poets. Good vibes only.

“I'm not.” The cars stopped, so Lucas began walking. He was halfway across the street when the lights switched and almost over to the other side when Donghyuck grabbed him by the elbow to slow him down. “Okay, I'm sorry", he said and let go. Lucas slowed down. “So when did you realize?”

“Before the game.” He smiled at the memory. “He was so nervous he cried, and it really shouldn't have been attractive, but I still wanted to hold him. And when we won, when he scored that goal… I was so proud. I just…” Lucas didn't know what to say, he wasn't a poet. This was why he needed poet friends. Poets could write sonnets. “I would write sonnets about him if I could.”

“You don't even know what a sonnet is.”

Lucas sped up his steps. 

“Okay, I'm sorry! Again.” They were almost at the restaurant by now. Lucas’ heart beat quicker just because of the knowledge that he would soon see Jungwoo. He wondered whether there would be any poets at the restaurant. No. Poets didn't eat fried chicken. They survived on love and sonnets.

“Dude, it's like you aren't even listening to me!” Donghyuck pulled him to a stop by grabbing him by the shoulders. He stepped in front of Lucas and gave him a critical once-over. “You've completely lost it for him.” Lucas nodded, a smile creeping up on his face that made Donghyuck roll his eyes again. “Well, congrats. I'm happy for you. What are you going to do about it?”

“I'm going to make him happy”, Lucas answered without hesitation.

“How?”

They continued walking. Donghyuck opened the door to the restaurant.

“Any way possible.” Lucas stepped inside and spotted their friends at a booth in the back. “Do you think Mark can write sonnets?”

 

Mark didn't know anything about writing sonnets. Renjun, who had taken a class on Shakespearean literature last year, promptly refused, instead needling Lucas about what he needed a sonnet for. Lucas stared at the menu he had memorized years ago. Jungwoo was sitting across from him. 

“I don't need it, just wanted to know if Mark could write one. Just out of curiosity.”

“Sure.” Renjun drew out the vowel of the word like he did when he was about to call bullshit, but thankfully the waiter arrived to take their order and rescued Lucas from having to explain his sudden interest in poetry. He should probably stop talking about it. His friends were useless in the matters of the heart anyway.

“What can I get for you guys?”

Donghyuck counted them out loud and ordered chicken for all six of them. Only when Renjun asked for a cup of ice cream for him and Jeno to share, did Lucas realize someone was missing.

“Where's Jaemin?” he asked when the waiter left.

“Study group”, Jeno said. He had hickeys on his neck, too high up to be hidden by his collar. It looked like someone had attacked him with a vacuum cleaner. Lucas glanced at Renjun. He wondered whether Renjun was bothered by it.

“He’s still coming to the noraebang later, right?” Mark asked.

“Of course.”

The waiter brought them their drinks and the conversation moved on. Lucas tried to find a more comfortable position and stretched out his legs underneath the table. Practice last night had been hard, with Coach Lee pushing them in preparation for their upcoming game. His feet hit someone’s, and Jungwoo looked up, met his eyes. Lucas was ready to pull away, but Jungwoo smiled and kicked him softly, then left his legs right where they were, touching Lucas’.

“You look like an idiot”, Donghyuck muttered under his breath. Lucas couldn’t give a flying fuck what he looked like.

“Isn’t that Kang Daniel and Ong Seongwu?” Renjun said, and not even that could wipe the smile off Lucas’ face, but he did turn to look at the entrance. Renjun was right. Waiting for a waiter to show them to an empty table, were the two players they would meet on the pitch in two days. The two players who had led the school on 101 to win the league last year and who had scored the goal that had eliminated Lucas’ team from the finals.

Daniel and Seongwu had yet to notice the hostile glares sent towards them, all their attention on each other. Lucas had never thought what they were like off the pitch, but he couldn't deny that Daniel looked a lot less threatening smiling like that at Seongwu, who was waving one hand in the air as he spoke. His other hand was holding Daniel's.

“Who are they?” Jungwoo asked.

“Are they dating?” Lucas asked.

“I swear to god”, Donghyuck said and pinched Lucas’ arm. “Mark and I could be dating and you wouldn’t notice.”

Lucas made an affronted noise. “I notice a lot of things.” Like that Jungwoo’s leg was still pressed against his. Like that Jungwoo was chuckling. Like that his hair had grown a little long but he looked cute anyway.

“They are coming”, Renjun said. He was holding his chopsticks in his fist as if he was ready to stab someone with them.

A waiter was leading the couple to a table in the back, right past them. Lucas’ eyes met Seongwu’s, who raised an eyebrow and stopped by their table.

“Hi guys”, he said in a tone that managed to sound both friendly and mocking at the same time. “How have you been? Practicing hard?”

“We’re good, thanks”, Mark answered, ever smiling. “What about you?”

“I think we are ready to take you down on Friday”, Seongwu smirked back. Daniel laughed next to him. There wasn’t really anything mean about it, but it rubbed Lucas the wrong way nonetheless.

“In your dreams, Ong.”

“I don’t really dream about you guys”, Seongwu answered, and this time Daniel laughed loud enough for the people in the surrounding tables to turn and look. Seongwu glanced at his boyfriend with a fond smile, and Lucas really tried his best to dislike them. Dammit. “Anyway, we don’t wanna waste our date with you guys, so… We’ll see on Friday.”

“See you guys”, Daniel said with a wave, and they walked off.

“How arrogant can you be?” Donghyuck said and rolled his eyes.

“Don’t worry about it”, Mark said and raised his glass. “We’ll beat them this year.”

“And have bragging rights forever”, Lucas agreed.

It didn’t take long for the waiter to bring over their food, and the chicken pushed any thoughts of the upcoming game away from Lucas’ mind. When there was nothing left in the baskets but greasy stains, Jeno got up to go outside and call Jaemin to let him know they were about to leave. Renjun followed him, and Donghyuck went to use the bathroom. Mark asked for the check, resigned to pay.

“I can pay”, Jungwoo offered.

Mark shook his head with a smile. “No, it’s okay. You guys go on ahead, I’ll be outside in a second.”

Lucas jumped up and at the chance to spend even a few minutes alone with Jungwoo. Mark hid his smile by emptying his glass, but Lucas ignored him as Jungwoo stood up as well and pulled on his coat.

“Ready to sing?” Lucas asked him while they walked towards the exit. 

“I suppose so”, Jungwoo said, voice so soft that Lucas had to stay close to him to hear. Not that he minded at all. “Are you any good at singing?”

Lucas laughed. “Singing, not so much. But I’m pretty decent at rapping.”

“Wow.” Lucas glanced at Jungwoo, who was smiling as innocently as ever when he continued, “You sound almost humble.” With an exaggerated huff, Lucas bumped into his shoulder and received a chuckle in return.

“I can be humble.”

“So it seems.”

Lucas held the door open for him and followed him outside. A brisk wind was blowing, tugged at Lucas’ hoodie immediately. There was no sign of Jeno or Renjun on the sidewalk. Maybe the idiots had already begun walking towards the noraebang. Lucas bumped Jungwoo’s shoulder again to get him to head in the right direction. It was only a ten-minute walk, but one that Lucas would love to spend with Jungwoo alone. Mark and Donghyuck could find their way.

“So who were the two guys that we talked to?” Jungwoo asked.

“They play for our biggest rival school. Last year-”, Lucas glanced to the side when they came around the corner and stopped in his steps. He felt both a weird sense of dejá vù and horror at the same time. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time he saw Jeno pressed against a wall, but it shouldn’t be by Renjun. It shouldn’t be Renjun who was busy adding to the collection of hickeys on his neck. Not anymore.

Jungwoo looked like he was about to call out to them so Lucas grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a walk until they were hidden behind the next building.

“What is it?” Jungwoo asked with a frown.

“Didn’t you see that?” Lucas asked and let go of Jungwoo. He had not been prepared for this many emotions, not when he had been happily enjoying his day, so he continued down the sidewalk, hoping to walk them off. “Jeno and  _ Renjun _ .”

“Yes?” Jungwoo said after jogging up to him.

“Jeno and Jaemin are together!”

“... Yes?”

Lucas glanced at him incredulously. Could Jungwoo not see how bad this was? “Okay, you don’t have the full backstory. Back in middle school, Jeno and Jaemin were together. But then Jaemin moves away and they break up. High school starts and Renjun and Jeno become a thing and they were together for _two years_.” Lucas had never understood it, how someone could want to spend that much time with just one person. Not until he met Jungwoo. “Beginning of last year, Jaemin moves back and transfers to our school and he still has the biggest heart-eyes for Jeno. A couple of months and they are dating again. Renjun’s been mostly fine, but that…” Lucas didn’t know if he felt worse for Renjun or Jaemin. He wasn’t sure if he was madder at Renjun or Jeno.

“So you are saying that Jeno is cheating on Jaemin with Renjun, who is his ex?”

“Yeah.”

It took Lucas off-guard when Jungwoo stopped him and wrapped his arms around him. His breath warmed Lucas’ neck when he spoke. “You are a good guy, Lucas-ah. A little dumb, but good. You should talk to them.” Hesitantly, Lucas hugged Jungwoo back.

“Talk?”

“Yeah, definitely. It’s the smart thing to do.” Jungwoo pulled back with a smile, and Lucas wanted to kiss him so bad. Instead, he nodded and dropped his arms. The wind blew cold through his hoodie.

“Okay. I’ll talk to them.”

 

Lucas and Jungwoo got them a room and started on their sodas while they waited for the others to arrive. Jungwoo kept smiling, and it was making Lucas blush uncontrollably. He was almost happy when Donghyuck burst in through the door and started choosing the first song. It gave Lucas the push he needed to drag his eyes away from Jungwoo's lips.

While Donghyuck and Renjun put their hearts and souls and strained vocal cords into singing, Lucas left Jungwoo's side to sit down next to Jeno instead. He was swaying along to the music, eyes and mouth smiling when he nodded at Lucas. Lucas’s gaze dropped down to his neck and  _ really,  _ did they have to be such teenagers?

“What's up?” Jeno asked and leaned a little closer so that he didn't have to shout to be heard over Renjun's crooning.

“I never thought you would do something like that”, Lucas said and felt his irritation grow when Jeno's eyes widened in confusion. This was hard enough as it was, did Jeno really have to make it even harder? “I saw you guys. Outside the chicken place.” Jeno dropped his head and  _ chuckled _ . No shame.

“I'm sorry about that. There's a sophomore who has apparently been flirting with me and…” 

“What about Jaemin?” Lucas interrupted because who the hell cared about some horny sophomore right now?

“What about him?”

_ Ugh _ . “Don't you care about his feelings at all?”

The confusion was back in Jeno's expression, he almost looked hurt. “Of course, I do. Hyung, what are you talking about?”

Lucas was just about to tell him exactly what he meant when the door opened, and Jaemin entered. He walked straight up to them and sat down on the other side of Jeno. He placed a hand on Jeno's cheek as if about to kiss him, but instead frowned and turned a sharp gaze towards Lucas.

“What did you say to him?”

And Lucas had had it. How dare Jeno sit there with hurt in his eyes while the boyfriend he was cheating on came for Lucas, who had done  _ nothing  _ wrong?

“I saw him with Renjun today”, Lucas said and wondered briefly if he was still approaching this the smart way.

“... Yes?” 

“Making out.” He glanced down at Jeno's neck. Jaemin's eyes followed his, and Lucas waited. Instead of rage, a smug smile spread on Jaemin's lips.

“Pretty”, he said and stroked a finger down a particularly dark hickey. “But we can add some more, just to be sure.”

The song ended and Lucas was confused. He started to suspect that he might have interpreted something wrong. “You are here!” Renjun said, sat down next to Jaemin and kissed him.

Lucas had definitely interpreted something wrong.

“What the fuck.”

All three stared at him until Jeno started laughing.

“He thought I was cheating.” He started sliding down the bench with the force of his laughter. It didn't take Renjun and Jaemin long to join in, and now Lucas was insulted. Here he was, trying to look out for his friends, and they laughed at him.

“So you two aren't together anymore?” he asked and gestured to Jeno and Jaemin.

“We are all together, idiot. Been since spring”, Jaemin explained and put his arms over his boyfriends’ shoulders. Jeno turned his face to muffle his laughter against Jaemin’s neck.

Lucas got up and returned to sit down next to Jungwoo with an indignant huff. He picked up his soda and wished that it was something stronger. Not even a thank you did he get for his trouble.

“So?” Jungwoo asked, leaning in close to be heard over Mark and Donghyuck enthusiastically screaming into their mics. He looked amused.

“You knew”, Lucas said. Was there no one that he could trust? “You knew they were all together?”

“It is hard not to notice. They are inseparable.” Jungwoo reached out and took Lucas’ hand. “It’s okay. You did want to do the right thing.”

“Yeah”, Lucas said and turned to watch Mark and Donghyuck. He ignored the trio cuddling and chuckling in their corner. Throughout the following songs, until Jungwoo was coaxed to get up and sing, he held Lucas’ hand in his. Jungwoo sang a ballad about first crushes, and despite his embarrassment, Lucas felt pretty damn happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I haven't answered to any of the lovely comments u guys have left for this fic, but know that I have read them & love them. I'd feel really dumb going back now to reply to them, but I promise to reply from now on to every single one of you <3 i love you <3 thank you <3


	8. Chapter 8

Lucas stared at the entrance to the sports complex and the locker rooms. He had been just fine, really. Totally chill about the game. Chill as fuck. They were still in the group stage: even if they lost, they would still have a chance to advance to the quarterfinals. The game was sold out, but he had played in front of a full stadium before. He had been totally chill until Coach Lee called him in during lunch and told him that one of the scouts was coming back to see him again. This time it was for real. He was coming again.

Lucas’ future depended on this game. And that scared the crap out of him.

Hence the loitering outside. He saw Chenle and Jisung arrive but rather than joining them, he leaned back so that the bike shelter hid him better. Jeno walked past him too, with Renjun and Jaemin, both who despite practicing with the football team, preferred to perform with the marching band rather than play in the games. He turned his eyes away when they exchanged kisses for good luck because he had seen quite enough of that to last a lifetime, thank you very much.

But when Jungwoo arrived Lucas called out to him. Jungwoo looked up from his phone and spotted him immediately, walked over with a confused smile.

“What are you hiding here for?”

“I’m not hiding. Maybe a little.”

“Nervous?”

“Never.”

Jungwoo smiled at him knowingly, and Lucas returned it. He reached out and took Jungwoo’s hand in his. Jungwoo squeezed it softly.

“There’s no need to be nervous. If you screw up, I’ll cover for you.” Lucas’ heart swelled when he heard Jungwoo repeating his words back to him.

“I know you will”, he said and took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

They entered the locker room hand in hand, but everyone knew better than to say anything. Lucas sat down in his usual spot, Jungwoo next to him.

Mark was already there, having arrived long before Lucas did, tying his laces. “You are almost late.”

“Almost”, Lucas said and tipped over his bag on the floor. He pulled out his socks from the pile and began pulling them on. “You ready to kick some ass?”

“I’m always ready”, Mark answered with complete seriousness.

Lucas turned to Jungwoo. “Are you ready to kick some ass?”

His smile was nervous, but his voice didn’t waver when he said, “Yes.”

The weather was quite nice for football. It was a little bit chilly, but after the warm-up Lucas could hardly feel it. The stadium was filling up, the crowd loud and decked out in their teams’ colors. The block that had been assigned to the visiting team’s fans was completely blue and grey, with signs and banners that Lucas could read if he squinted. But they were overpowered by the home crowd, who started sporadically chanting even though the game's start was still a good half hour away.

Johnny told them to get back inside for a last pre-game chat. Most of the team hurried to the locker room, happy to get inside and into their jerseys, but Lucas spotted Mark veering off towards the substitutes’ bench. In the rows above it, familiar faces smiled down at them, so Lucas jogged after Mark. 

When they approached, Ten and Taeyong held up a huge sign with Mark’s face and name in glittering letters on it.

“Hyungs, please put that down”, Mark groaned.

“Can I have it after the game?” Lucas asked.

“Of course.” Ten looked pretty satisfied with himself, especially when Mark hid his blushing face in his hands. “We just wanted to show our support, Mark-yah.”

“Don’t worry, Lucas-ah, we made one for you too”, Taeyong said and as if on cue Yoonoh and Dongyoung held up an almost identical one with Lucas’ face on it.

“You guys are the worst”, Lucas said through laughter. The four alumni, all dressed in the school’s colors, nodded. “C’mon, Mark, let’s go before someone thinks we know them.”

“Good luck!”

“Break a leg!”

“Please, don’t!”

 

When they entered the pitch again, Lucas forgot all about his worries. It was getting dark already so the stadium lights felt all the brighter. The crowd’s screaming was a loud but unintelligible murmur surrounding them when they lined up on the pitch. The visiting team walked past their line and they shook hands. Lucas met eyes with Seongwu, who simply nodded and moved on. When the last of them had let go of Lucas’ hand, he ran to his own spot just outside of the center circle. Jungwoo was standing to his left, Jisung further out to the right.

Mark won the coin toss and decided against changing sides. He jogged off to his position below Lucas, and then they all waited for the referee to blow the whistle. Lucas placed one foot on the white line, ready to take off.

The whistle blew, the opponent’s striker passed the ball down to Daniel, and the game was on.

The first fifteen minutes passed without any heartstopping moments, with both teams fighting for possession on the midfield. Lucas kept mostly out of it, satisfied with seeking open space when his teammates had the ball and trying to block passes when the opponent’s defenders kept it.

The first time the blue and grey spectators went wild came when Seongwu managed to break free from his defender and cut towards the goal. Donghyuck was closest, right behind him, and before Seongwu could reach the penalty area, Donghyuck slid into a tackle. Instead of hitting the ball, he swept Seongwu off his feet. Their supporters shouted as Seongwu rolled on the ground, the ball now safely in Chenle’s hands. But the referee had already blown his whistle and signaled for a free kick. Donghyuck got away without a card, but it wasn’t much of a consolation when Daniel sank in the ball just underneath the crossbar. The visiting team gathered around him to celebrate, Seongwu the first to jump into his arms loudly hollering.

Chenle kicked the ball up to Lucas, who took it to the center and waited impatiently for everyone to get back to their places so that they could continue. 

Trying to get the ball past the defensive line was like kicking it against a wall. Lucas was starting to get frustrated, but he tried his best to listen to Mark’s encouragements and focus on finding a solution. Luckily, the other school wasn’t making much progress either.

They were already on the first minute of overtime when Jeno managed to pass the ball between two defenders for Jungwoo to run after. Jungwoo was fast, and even with Seongwu on his heels, he got the ball under control. Lucas was already running towards the goal. Jungwoo looked up, and Lucas knew it was his signal. He cut away from the direction he had been running and rushed towards the front goalpost. Jungwoo’s cross came low and hard and right to Lucas, who only had to angle his foot right to put it in behind the goalkeeper.

Lucas screamed and raised his arms in the air. He kept running and barely managed to slow down before he crashed into Jungwoo, who was screaming as well. The rest of their team jumped on their backs within seconds, and they were loud enough that they almost couldn’t hear the referee blow to signal the end of the first half. They headed back into the locker room, untangling from their pile while they walked.

“That was amazing”, Jungwoo said, removing his arm from Lucas’ shoulder. Lucas grinned at him. “Well done, Lucas-ah.”

“Thanks, hyung. Great cross too.”

The door to the locker room closed behind them and muted the sounds from the crowd. Their team was in better spirits, lifted by the late-minute goal. Johnny ushered them to their seats so that Coach Lee could bring them back to earth and remind them that they hadn’t won yet, not even close. His speeches were always short, but by the time he was finished Lucas’ breathing had evened out. They could hear the marching band playing outside, and Jeno snuck outside to watch them perform the moment Coach Lee stopped talking.

Lucas turned to Jungwoo. “We can win this.”

Jungwoo answered with a blinding smile: “Of course. We’ve got you.”

Despite their renewed confidence, Lucas’ team almost conceded a goal within the first ten minutes of the second half. The visiting team had entered the pitch with determination and pushed forward hard. They tore through the defense and forced every midfielder to drop down to help, which left Lucas alone by the halfway line, waiting and praying that the other team wouldn’t score. Chenle had to stretch into several impressive saves to keep the score even, and it was pure luck that made a shot from Seongwu hit the goalpost.

But Mark managed to get his team organized and play the ball up the field, and the pressure lessened a little. The midfield started resembling a battlefield, with both teams tackling like their lives depended on it. Jeno took one tackle that looked bad enough to send him to the nurse, and while he was lead off the pitch the rest of the players got a chance to drink and calm down. Lucas glanced up at the clock and set his jaw in determination. They had ten minutes.

The game continued, and thankfully, when the ball rolled over the sideline Jeno was allowed to join the game again. Jisung threw the ball to Mark, who quickly passed it on to Lucas. Lucas turned around and started advancing towards the goal. He caught sight of Jungwoo and passed the ball to him, right between two midfielders. Lucas ran past one of them and cut in front of Jungwoo and the defensive line. Before he was in offside, the pass came, and now it was just him and the goalkeeper.

The goalkeeper made himself bigger to cover as much of the goal as possible, and Lucas had drifted too far to the left. He could make it, he thought and glanced up towards the further goalpost. There, a few steps in front of a defender, was Jungwoo, running to help Lucas who was never known for giving away the ball when he had a shot at scoring. Lucas looked back at the goal and passed.

With nothing but empty net in front of him, Jungwoo scored.

The whole stadium exploded, but Jungwoo’s laughter was louder than the hundreds of people cheering. Lucas scooped him up into his arms and spun him around. Mark, followed by Jisung and the rest of their team crashed into them seconds later. Lucas was laughing too, barely able to keep his balance. He felt as good as if he had scored the goal, and even better when Jungwoo hugged him tightly.

Despite their best efforts, the visiting team didn’t manage to score before the referee blew his whistle for the last time. The celebrations passed Lucas in a blur of happy faces and chants from their supporters and Coach Lee telling him that he had done well. The locker room was a loud affair, with everyone hurrying to shower while chattering excitedly. Chenle was reading out the results from the other games and confirming that they were leading the league at the moment. Jisung and Donghyuck sang their way through changing into clean clothes. Jeno had an ice pack on his knee and the widest of smiles on his face that only grew wider when Renjun and Jaemin joined them. Even Mark let go, laughing so hard he almost slipped in the showers.

Lucas left together with Jungwoo after Coach Lee told him that the scout had promised to be in contact. Lucas felt like he was walking on clouds. It didn’t matter that this had only been a group stage game: it felt like they had already won the whole league.

His mother was waiting outside, chatting with other parents. Lucas didn’t mind the hug she pulled him into, though normally he might have complained about how embarrassing it was.

“Hi Mom.”

“You played really well tonight”, she said and let go of him. Her eyes landed on Jungwoo. “And who’s this?” she asked with a polite smile and a knowing look.

“Jungwoo”, Lucas said. Jungwoo bowed deep in greeting.

“Nice to meet you.”

“He’s the boy?” Lucas blushed and nodded. Jungwoo cast a confused glance at him, but his smile never dropped. “Come over for dinner some time, Jungwoo-yah. I want to get to know you better since you’ve gotten my boy so flustered. It’s not an easy thing to do.”

Now it was Jungwoo’s turn to blush. “I don’t think I’ve done… that. Ma’am.”

“Adorable.” She looked at them fondly but then turned her focus to pulling on her leather gloves. “I’ll go start up the car. Come when you are ready.” Lucas nodded, and they watched her walk quickly across the car park, then followed at a slower pace.

“You haven’t done anything stupid to try and impress me lately.” Jungwoo looked away when he said it. When he turned his face back, there was a slight blush on his cheeks.

“You asked me not to”, Lucas said.

Jungwoo chuckled. They stopped by the curb. Jungwoo was clutching the strap of his bag, and Lucas wondered why he appeared nervous. A car drove past them, the students in the backseat shouting Lucas’ name. He hardly noticed.

“Thank you”, Jungwoo said and smiled. He hiked the bag up higher on his shoulder. “Is that the… Is that the only reason you stopped?”

Lucas cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… Is that - don’t you still - do you still like me?”

“I would marry you.”

Honesty was good, and then there was going too far. Lucas almost took it back, but Jungwoo giggled. He was blushing again.

“Maybe in a couple of years. How about you ask me on a date first?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I kept you waiting for almost a month! D: I hope this made up for the wait. <3
> 
> Also, I'm feeling kind of tempted to write a companion piece to this about how norenmin got together. Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in. I love them and it's been so hard to keep them on the sidelines in this one :')
> 
> Anyway, happy 2019 cuties! <3 One more chapter to go~


	9. Chapter 9

Lucas needed a plan. And not just any plan but a great plan. The plan to end all plans.

He spent the weekend doing research, watching every single movie that seemed appropriate and that he could get his hands on. The fact that one of them actually ended with the confession being read as a sonnet made him laugh so hard his mother came into check on him. His favorite was definitely  _ Grease, _ though turning up in a sports jacket wouldn’t really be different enough.

Four hours of sleep and close to fifteen hours of staring at a screen eventually made his eyes and head ache, so on Sunday he called Mark and asked if he could come over. Lucas’ father offered to drive him, and an hour later Lucas was ringing the bell at the gate. Taeyong opened the door with a tired smile.

“Mark and Donghyuck are playing something in Mark’s room”, Taeyong said and yawned. He had clearly just gotten out of bed despite it being nearly five in the afternoon. “Come inside, it’s cold out there.”

Lucas closed the door and toed out of his shoes. “Late night, hyung?”

“Yeah. I don’t think we got in bed until six in the morning”, Taeyong said and walked with Lucas to the kitchen. Ten was there, wrapped in a fluffy morning coat, preparing two cups of tea.

“Lucas-ah”, he said in greeting. “How’s it going with Jungwoo?”

“I’m going to ask him on a date.”

Ten hummed in response, but his eyes were on Taeyong, who walked over to him and pressed close to his back. There was a smile on Ten’s lips. He picked up one of the cups to give it to Taeyong, who mumbled something Lucas couldn’t hear and wrapped his arms around Ten’s waist. So Ten took the other cup too.

“We are going back to bed. Try to keep it down?” Ten said and started walking towards Taeyong’s room on the lower floor, Taeyong still wrapped around his back and face burrowed into the collar of his robe.

Lucas forgot to answer, watching them leave. He wanted that. He wanted slow mornings and warm hugs and soft smiles.

He took the stairs two steps at the time and found Mark and Donghyuck on the floor of Mark’s room, controllers in hands and eyes on the screen. Donghyuck looked like he was trying to kick Mark’s controller out of his hand, while Mark was almost lying on the ground to stay safe.

“C’mon!” Donghyuck gritted out between clenched teeth. “You are not winning again.” He kicked at Mark, who tipped over on the floor but managed to keep his car on the track. Donghyuck’s crashed into a wall and he wailed. “This game sucks!”

“Ten asked you to shut up”, Lucas said and sat down on the unmade bed.

“I’m trying but it is hard”, Donghyuck answered and steered his smoking car after Mark’s. “He’s been practicing in secret or something. I swear you were never this good before.” Mark only grinned and sped across the finish line. He pumped his fist in the air but tried to keep his laughter down.

“So, what’s up?” he asked and set the controller down.

“I need help.” Lucas waited until he had both of their attention. “I’m going to ask Jungwoo on a date and it needs to be epic.”

Mark frowned. “I thought you weren’t doing… that anymore.” To Lucas’ surprise, Donghyuck slapped Mark over the back of his head.

“I don’t know who’s thicker between the two of you”, he said and turned back to Lucas, who contemplated whether he should be offended. But Donghyuck might have a point there. “Was it after the game?”

“Was what after the game?”

“He told you he liked you, right?”

“Yeah. How did you know?”

Donghyuck smirked smugly and leaned back on his hands. “He sang a love ballad to you at the noraebang and you didn’t realize. I figured he’d have to come and straight up tell you for you to catch on.”

Well, now Lucas was definitely insulted. But also kind of endeared. He thought back to the noraebang and the way they’d been holding hands. “You mean he’s liked me for some time now?”

“Idiot. He’s liked you since day one.” Donghyuck’s tone softened. “You just made it really hard for him there for awhile.”

Lucas flopped down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He really was an idiot.

“We should call the others. They are going to want in on this too.” Lucas could hear Mark speaking, but he wasn’t really paying attention. Jungwoo had liked him since he spat water all over himself. When he got his fingers injured by a locker door. When he kicked himself in the head with a ball. Even when he stumbled around drunk and made a fool of himself.

“And it will give that one time to recover.”

 

By the time Taeyong kicked them all out because they had to be up early for school the next day, they had managed to formulate a foolproof plan. Lucas hurried to bed so that tomorrow would come quicker, but then he was too excited to fall asleep.

He woke up to the first buzz of his phone’s alarm and turned it off before the song even began playing. He got dressed in the jeans that made him feel confident and the red jumper that Jungwoo liked. While he brushed his teeth and styled his hair, he listened to a playlist that matched the excited beating of his heart. He sent a good morning text to Jungwoo. Downstairs, his parents were both in the kitchen, coffee cups in hand and bent over the same old-fashioned newspaper. They looked up with surprised smiles.

“What’s put a spring in your step?” his mother asked.

“Love”, Lucas answered with a big grin. “I need to go. Wish me luck!” He pulled on his shoes, grabbed his coat, and dashed out through the door. It was cold outside and in the car so Lucas turned the heater on full and plugged in his phone. With his favorite playlist on, he drove towards Jungwoo’s.

He was waiting by the curb, shivering in the wind despite the blue coat he was wearing. Lucas leaned over to open the door for him.

“You are early”, Jungwoo said when he sat down. “Thank god, it’s warm in here.” His cheeks were a little red.

“You were earlier.” Lucas waited until he had strapped his seatbelt on before he started driving.

“I love this song”, Jungwoo said and turned the music louder. Lucas nodded and smiled when Jungwoo began singing along, then joined in.

When they arrived at the school, Lucas hurried out of the car and over to Jungwoo’s side. He put his coat on Jungwoo’s shoulders.

“So that you don’t get cold again.”

“What about you?”

“I’m hot enough”, Lucas said with a grin.

It surprised a peal of laughter out of Jungwoo, who tugged Lucas’ coat tighter against himself. “Alright. Thank you.”

Taeil was fifteen minutes into their first lesson of the day when Lucas ran out of patience and scribbled down a message in the corner of his notebook, which he then angled towards Jungwoo.  _ Meet me on the pitch for lunch. _ Jungwoo read it, then looked at him questioningly. Lucas raised his eyebrows and tapped the words. When Jungwoo nodded, he smiled and turned his attention back to Taeil.

After class, Lucas didn’t give Jungwoo the chance to ask him about the cryptic message. He hurried to his next class and arrived before the teacher for the first time during his entire high school career. He didn’t pay that much attention to the educational film that they watched and dashed out the moment it ended, then waited impatiently for bio lab to start and be over and for it finally to be lunch.

Yuta war barely through the final instructions for homework before Lucas was out through the door. He ran to his car to get the blanket and the boombox. On the way to the stadium Mark caught up with him, and Jisung and Chenle waited for him by the entrance with the flowers.

“Okay, thanks guys”, Lucas said and dried his hands on his trousers before taking the bouquet and the lunch basket Mark had brought. “I’ve got this.”

“Yeah, you do”, Mark said and clapped him on the shoulder. “Go get him, tiger.”

Thanks to everyone being at lunch, the pitch and the bleachers were all empty. Lucas spread out the blanket on the grass, tried to arrange the bouquet next to the basket so that the petals wouldn’t get crushed, then glanced at the clock. The boombox was a Classic romantic gesture-wise, and thankfully Jaemin was a complete hipster who owned one for the aesthetic. Lucas had never used or even seen a real boombox in his entire life, so Jaemin had taught him how to use it.

Lucas checked that the note was still in his pocket and picked up the boombox, one finger on the ‘Play’ button. He didn’t have to wait for long before Jungwoo showed up, slowly walking out on the field. When he spotted Lucas, his face morphed from confusion to surprise to joy. Lucas would never get tired of that smile. He pressed play and raised the boombox over his head as Justin Bieber started echoing in the stadium. Jungwoo was laughing as he walked over.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m asking you out on a date.” By now, Lucas was starting to realize that the boombox was a lot heavier than he had anticipated. He put it down on the grass before he did something embarrassing like dropped it and turned the volume down a little. “Here.” Lucas handed the flowers to Jungwoo, who took them with an indulgent smile. Lucas knew that he would say yes, so why was he nervous? He swiped his palms against his trousers again, then pulled out the note from his pocket, unfolded it, and cleared his throat. “Renjun helped me write this.”

“Okay..?”

“My helpful boy, you inspire me to write / I love the way you laugh, play and exist, / Invading my mind day and through the night - Actually, no.” Lucas stared down at the note. “I don’t know how to write sonnets so this isn’t that good.” He put the note back in his pocket, then looked at Jungwoo. “But I know I really like you. And I’d be so happy if you’d go out on a date with me. I promise I’ll try my best to make you happy too.”

“Lucas-ah”, Jungwoo said. He closed the distance between them and threw his arms around Lucas’ neck. Lucas could smell the flowers when they finally kissed.

His hands grasped Jungwoo’s waist instinctually and he was quite sure he would never let go. Jungwoo kissed softly but with determination. His lips were softer than Lucas had ever imagined and when they opened to deepen the kiss, Lucas could see fireworks with his eyes closed. Justin Bieber was still crooning in the background.

Their lips parted just enough so that both could breathe again. Lucas murmured, “So is that a yes, then?”

Jungwoo nodded, chuckled breathlessly, and kissed him again.

The tape stopped with a click and the sudden silence pulled them apart, but only enough so that they could stare at the offending boombox.

“It’s Jaemin’s”, Lucas said. “But I guess we should eat. I’ve got sushi, your favorite.”

They sat down on the blanket, close enough that Lucas could lean over any time and kiss Jungwoo if he felt like it. And he did.

“We’ve got the whole stadium for ourselves”, Lucas said and kissed Jungwoo on the cheek. “I’ve got Donghyuck and Jeno keeping watch outside.” He kissed him on the corner of his mouth. “They’ll make sure no one disturbs us.” He kissed him on the mouth.

“Yeah, I saw them”, Jungwoo chuckled and handed Lucas a pair of chopsticks. “They were trying their best to hide, I promise.” Lucas rolled his eyes in amusement and opened the lunch boxes. “Lucas-ah, you didn’t really have to go through this much trouble for our date, really.”

Lucas met his sincere look and felt his heart do a backflip in his chest. “It’s no trouble if it’s for you, hyung.” This time Jungwoo was the one to lean in for another kiss. “Besides, this isn’t the date. This is a… pre-date?”

Jungwoo laughed. “You are setting the bar quite high for the actual date then.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it all planned out.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! Thanks to everyone who has been along for the ride and given kudos and comments, it means the world to me. Thanks to my beta for the help, the cheers, and a gorgeous photoset that you can find on [tumblr](http://madhattermatadore.tumblr.com/post/182764086991/i-can-already-only-see-you-by-thetamburlaine). Go take a look and give it a share to spread the luwoo love! And a special thanks to an online sonnet creator for helping me (and Lucas) write a sonnet for Jungwoo. It came out perfectly horrible.
> 
> Now go tell your friends who only read finished works, check out my tentae fic if that's your cup of tea, and keep your eye on the norenmin tag. Thanks and stay special! <3


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